Great Advice For You From the President’s Health Gurus

President Obama’s top health officials— who all, by the way, happen to be women—have more than four decades of combined experience. They know a little something about health—and about balancing work, family and time for themselves (imagine telling the leader of the free world you have too much on your plate!). So Glamour was curious: What health advice would they give young women now? Good news: “You don’t have to make dramatic changes. You don’t have to spend a lot of money,” says Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. What do you need to do?

“Making small changes every day really does have a huge impact.”

As the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Sebelius oversees the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a budget of more than $800 billion. Her advice…

Find a habit you can stick with.

For Sebelius, that’s running. She heads out at 6:00 A.M. about five to six days a week for three to six miles—a routine she’s had for years. “It was clear to me, when my boys were little, that the easiest way to exercise faithfully was just to get up earlier than they did. It was the one time I could leave and not disturb anybody, so I’ve become somewhat addicted. Running’s something I can do wherever I am. As long as nobody’s chasing me,” she says with a laugh, “it keeps me sane.” She simply rejects the “I don’t have time” excuse. “I don’t know people who say, ‘Oh, I brush my teeth only twice a week because I just don’t have time.’ To me, that kind of routine just makes you work better. I’m far more tired on days when I sleep in than on days when I get up early and run.”

Know that health care reform starts with you.

“Seventy-five percent of the $2.4 trillion spent in the U.S. every year on health care is for chronic diseases, most of them related to obesity and/or tobacco. These are conditions that can be changed,” says Sebelius. “It isn’t easy, but [everyone has] an opportunity to eat more fruits and vegetables. If you can’t run, walk.

“Making some of those choices is just really important. Somebody told me we all need to be on the white diet. It’s a simple way to think about it, but stay away from white foods like sugar and salt, potatoes, rice, bread and pasta as much as possible, but try to eat as much white protein as you can—more fish and chicken, as opposed to red meat. Add a few leafy greens, and you’ll be just dandy.”

Use sunscreen daily.

“We know so much more now than we did when I was growing up, when I covered myself with baby oil and had a little [foil reflector]. Both my parents survived melanoma. I’ve already had several things cut out myself. So I’m a big believer that sunscreen is a critical part of somebody’s regular routine. Melanoma kills.”

Never forget that you have a right to understand your own body.

“A lot of people never see their health records, and they have a 10-minute conversation with a doctor once a year who says, ‘Oh, it would be a good idea if you lost a little weight.’ Boom. Done. Gone. That’s it.” You should ask your doctor what’s in your file, everything from the results of your last blood test to diseases you may be at risk for because of family history, says Sebelius, “so you can understand more about your own body and [decide], What are the best strategies to move forward for me?… The more you know about what’s actually occurring in your own body, the better off you are.”

“You do better work if you have some balance in your life.”

Margaret Hamburg, M.D., is the commissioner of the FDA. Her job in a nutshell: “[What] we regulate touches your life every single day, from the toothpaste you use in the morning when you get up, to the food you eat at lunch, to the cream you put on your face at night.” Her advice…

Find your own balance.

“Balance is a challenge,” says Dr. Hamburg, who has a 14-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter; her husband commutes to work in New York from D.C. “But I’ve been unabashed about my commitment to balancing family and work. I try to get out of here at a reasonable hour so I can have dinner with my kids…. It’s a health and well-being issue.”

Take care of your bones.

“Recently, I had a bone scan and was told I was on the border between osteopenia and osteoporosis. I was shocked, because I think of myself as young and reasonably athletic. But it turned out that I had low vitamin D levels, and I wasn’t getting enough calcium and weight-bearing exercise. And so I’m working on those things.”

Don’t be complacent about your sexual health.

“You have only one body. And many [STDs] last a lifetime and can seriously threaten your health,” says Dr. Hamburg. “You have a right, and a personal obligation, to be assertive about protecting yourself. It’s OK to take your time to become sexually active, and if you are [having sex], it’s OK to insist on taking precautions.”

Every year, do at least these three things for your health.

Dr. Hamburg says that—at minimum— young women need to have the following appointments on an annual basis. “A regular physical exam, a gynecologic exam [and] a breast exam. And I think all young women today should discuss the HPV vaccine with their physician, and I would recommend they receive it.”

Doctor’s orders: Eat a good breakfast.

We spoke to Dr. Hamburg about a month after her confirmation and she admitted, “It’s been a blizzard of activity…and it’s hard to build in regular meals. [But you should] always eat a good breakfast. It has been scientifically shown that breakfast makes a difference, and if you have a good grounding with breakfast, it improves your performance the whole day, and actually reduces your overall calorie intake.”

Take care of your mental health.

“Depression is not unusual, and it’s not something to be ashamed of. If you’re feeling hopeless or helpless or anxious, it’s important to talk about that,” says Dr. Hamburg, whose mother was a psychiatrist. And know that your physical health makes a difference in how you feel emotionally: “Diet and exercise are important to mental health. Adequate sleep is important to mental health.” Take care of your whole body—guaranteed, you’ll notice the impact on your mood.

“Try to be realistic—my goals are not grandiose.”

Nancy-Ann DeParle is the director of the White House Office of Health Reform (and a former Glamour Top 10 College Women winner); it’s her job to get a health care reform bill to the President’s desk this fall.

Always pack your flats.

When she misses a workout, DeParle says, “I don’t beat myself up too much. I just make up my mind: I’m taking the stairs. I’m back and forth to the West Wing 20 times a day, and I’m on the Hill. Instead of taking taxis back and forth…I take flats and do some walking while I’m out there.”

Back away from the vending machine.

“I don’t have much control over [my exercise schedule] with this job, so I’ve tried to be more vigilant about what I eat,” says DeParle. “I keep an apple and peanut butter at my desk so I have a healthy option. And I haven’t been to the [vending] machines once. No machine cuisine here.”

Remember that stress doesn’t last forever.

“I think there are seasons to a person’s life. I’ve decided that for me and my family, for the next year or so [health care reform] is something…that I’m going to be focusing on, so that and my family are the only two things in my life. The guilt I have is [about losing touch with] really good friends, and I have [extended] family members who haven’t heard from me since I took this job! That’s the part I’ve sacrificed. And I’m realistic: I try to spend an hour a day with my two boys [ages 8 and 10]. It’s not enough, and I wouldn’t want to sustain it long-term, but for now, that’s OK.”

Choose to be insured.

Twenty-eight percent of women ages 20 to 24 and 25 percent of those 25 to 29 are uninsured, according to CDC data. DeParle says, “Several million [of those] people could have insurance but just choose not to take it from their employer. They choose not to pay the premium.” Are you one of those women? Listen up: “You really want to get insurance and keep it. That’s your best guarantee to having it when you really need it. You might not need it at 22, but at 30 you might, and if you haven’t had continuous coverage, it can be even more difficult to get.”

The One Thing They All Agree On: Do Not Smoke!

Don’t pick up that first cigarette.

“My mother died of lung cancer—she started smoking as an Army nurse in World War II,” says DeParle. “I’ve never touched a cigarette, and never will. I wouldn’t ever do it after seeing her suffer.” That should be every woman’s M.O., says Dr. Hamburg, who says she’ll work to remove additives like cherry and cinnamon flavoring that can make cigarettes more enticing.

Motivate a loved one to quit.

“I smoked probably for 10 years,” admits Sebelius. “From the time I was a teenager into my midtwenties, until I married a guy who was not a smoker. He was pretty much antismoking, so I just quit [cold turkey].”

Get help if you need it.

“Tobacco is an addiction—kicking an addiction is not easy. It helps to have support,” such as medication or a quit line (call 800-QUIT-NOW), says Sebelius. “But it really is, I think, determination—a mind-set that says, ‘However hard it’s going to be, I need to do this to save my life.’”